Chapter 525: Petty Moves

“You…” Qi Xia’s thoughts instantly reached Wei Yang’s ears.

Wei Yang’s “Mind Reading” didn’t even require eye contact. If that was the case, back when Qi Xia expelled him, he must have already known Qi Xia’s plan.

“Wei Yang…” Qi Xia chuckled. “Trying to lie to my face—isn’t that a bit too forced?”

“You can even guess that…” Wei Yang gritted his teeth, his expression darkening. “Qi Xia, I suggest you leave now… or things are really going to get messy…”

Qi Xia frowned, a thought flashing through his mind.

Could there have been some hidden reason behind expelling Wei Yang back then…?

“Exactly.” Wei Yang nodded with a grin. “Heh, get lost…”

Seeing Wei Yang nod in agreement, Qi Xia felt the situation grow even more intriguing. Had Wei Yang’s departure been arranged by him?

Had he deliberately sent away someone capable of “Mind Reading”… and let it go on for ten years?

“Wait a second…” Qi Xia paused slightly as two key phrases echoed in his mind. “‘Mind Reading’… ‘Natives’?”

“Stop guessing…” Wei Yang softly interrupted Qi Xia’s train of thought. “It’s dangerous.”

Dangerous…?

Qi Xia narrowed his eyes, sensing that he was probably right.

“Wei Yang, I just have one question,” Qi Xia said.

“What?”

“Why do you ‘persist’?” Qi Xia asked. “You must know I lose my memories, forget things. Even so, you still chose to persist?”

At Qi Xia’s question, the madness in Wei Yang’s expression visibly faded.

“This feeling…” He grinned. “This ability to see through people without even needing ‘Mind Reading’… this is why I ‘persist.’ Qi Xia, the path you’ve laid is fascinating… and your ‘deception’ enthralls me just as much.”

“My… deception?”

“I took on a few apprentices after you…” Wei Yang said with a bitter smile. “Aside from my favorite student, Qin Dingdong… none of them ever grasped the essence…”

“You’re saying I was your apprentice?” Qi Xia was stunned. “I… learned deception… from you?”

“I always forget… I always forget!” Wei Yang cackled, sending a chill down Qi Xia’s spine. “You have no memories, yet every time I speak, I feel like it’s still ten years ago. Some words just slip out without me realizing…”

Chen Junnan, overhearing their conversation, also looked uneasy.

“Hey… when the hell did Dongjie learn deception from you? Don’t spout nonsense!”

“Oh…?” Wei Yang glanced at Chen Junnan, then shook his head with a smirk. “So Chen Junnan’s here too? My dear apprentice told me not to tell you… Oops, I let it slip.”

Qi Xia realized this middle-aged man was far more cunning than he appeared—he couldn’t even tell whether Wei Yang’s words were true or false. “You’d better have genuinely slipped up.”

“Hehe…” Wei Yang turned back to Qi Xia, beaming with delight. “Just like the old days! We’d try to outguess each other! You guess what I’m thinking, I guess what you’re thinking! Isn’t it fun? Which of us is really the one with ‘Mind Reading’?”

“I don’t want to play guessing games,” Qi Xia said flatly. “Wei Yang, are you really a con artist?”

“Of course…” Wei Yang nodded. “I’ve pulled off massive scams… and have more blood on my hands than I can count. That’s just how I roll.”

Qi Xia studied Wei Yang’s eyes and sensed he wasn’t lying this time.

Not only was he truly a fraud, but he had even killed before.

He was the epitome of a villain in the “Land of the End,” fitting every condition to be here. Yet Qi Xia had once apprenticed under such a man?

Had he lost all sense of right and wrong?

“What’s there to say…” Wei Yang continued, lost in his own thoughts. “You really did learn from me, and I’m not lying. It’s just that you were far more talented… You’re a born deceiver. Besides, this has nothing to do with ‘right or wrong.’ If someone’s better than you, they can be your teacher.”

Qi Xia still wasn’t used to someone who could hear his thoughts directly. He hadn’t even made eye contact—how was Wei Yang doing it?

“I don’t need to see your eyes…” Wei Yang replied. “But I do admire you… You can juggle so many thoughts at once. Your mind is more intricate than a symphony.”

“If you can hear everything, why not consider rejoining my team?”

“Oh…?” Wei Yang slowly raised a hand to stroke his chin, then asked, “Qi Xia, does this gesture look familiar?”

Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin both turned to Wei Yang, noticing how his cold, calculating eyes now bore an eerie resemblance to Qi Xia’s.

“What are you trying to say?” Qi Xia asked.

“I stroke my chin when I think,” Wei Yang said. “Do you understand now?”

The statement was so cryptic that Qi Xia couldn’t even begin to decipher it.

“You stroke your chin, I stroke mine,” Qi Xia said. “Are you implying this isn’t just a coincidence?”

He expected Wei Yang to answer as before, but this time, the man stayed silent.

“It’s getting late…” Wei Yang muttered. “You should head back and prepare for the ‘Pegasus Hour.’ Qi Xia, if you can figure out the meaning behind my question… you might uncover your entire plan.”

Qi Xia knew Wei Yang’s words carried weight, but he couldn’t say more outright—every conversation here risked being monitored.

But how was he supposed to interpret such an obscure clue?

Stroking his chin?

What did it mean that both he and Wei Yang did it?

“Indeed, what does it mean?” Wei Yang swayed his head theatrically. “If you solve it, come find me anytime. Whether after the ‘Pegasus Hour’… or in the next cycle, I’ll be here with the ‘Farm Choir,’ waiting to serenade you with the most beautiful songs.”

“Spare me the songs,” Qi Xia said dryly. “If I crack this, will you help me?”

“If you can unravel the truth behind this… I won’t have a choice but to help.” Wei Yang stepped forward, standing face-to-face with Qi Xia, their gazes nearly identical. “Qi Xia, believe it or not, I’m still carrying out a mission you once entrusted to me. But now, I’m lost. If you can deduce your entire past plan from just this clue… then your mind is godlike. Joining you would be my only path forward.”